Royal visitors raise spirits in fire-ravaged Slave Lake

Slave Lake residents Zoe Fillion and brother Zane Fillion eat ice cream cones under the town's A&W Restaurant sign welcoming the British Royal couple to the town on Wednesday July 6, 2011.

Photograph by: Larry Wong
, Edmonton Journal

SLAVE LAKE, Alta. — The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge left Slave Lake after an almost three-hour visit Wednesday to tour the fire-ravaged Alberta community.

After their arrival a string of motorcycles led the couple's minibus to the entrance of Northern Lakes College. As they pulled in, fans erupted in cheers and chants of "Will and Kate."

People were decked out many in their finest party dresses and fascinators. Others wore "I Heart Slave Lake" T-shirts and came bearing little paper Union Jacks and bouquets of flowers for the duchess.

Kate, in a navy blazer, reportedly by Toronto-based label Smythe, and Prince William waved briefly at the crowd before going inside to meet emergency responders and families affected by the fires.

RCMP officer Leigh Drinkwater, whose home was destroyed in the fire, was one of the emergency responders to meet with the royal couple at the college.

Drinkwater said the meeting was an opportunity for emergency services personnel to talk to the duke and duchess, and for the royals to ask questions about the fire.

"They seem very, very humble," Drinkwater said, after the meeting. "They were an absolute pleasure to speak with."

He said the visit means a lot to the community.

"It's nice to see people of their stature that can acknowledge what happened here, and recognize what has happened and make a point of coming," he said.

"I think that it will offer a lot of encouragement to the people here in town, to show that their matters are still in the forefront of a lot of people's minds."

After the private meetings, the royal couple emerged to cheers, screams, and a sea of cameras and flowers.

Prince William made a beeline for Yolande and Dion Klyne, who had been waiting for the royals since 4:30 a.m.

Dion had gone to the barricades every hour on the hour last night to check on crowds for his wife.

"He's the best husband ever," Yolande said.

Yolande told the duke that after she and her husband lost their home in the fire, this visit from the royals means a lot.

"I'm so sorry for your loss," he told her.

The prince complimented the couple on the I Heart Slave Lake T-shirts they were wearing and told them how happy he was to be there.

"It was amazing," said Yolande. "You can tell he really cares."

The duchess came next, and the couple presented her with flowers.

"I lost a lot memories in the fire, but these are new ones," Yolande said afterwards, in tears. "It's truly the start of rebuilding."

Afterwards, the duke and duchess strolled separately along the barricades, shaking hands and speaking with those in the crowd.

Some people cried as they met the royals.

"Thank you so much for coming," one woman sobbed.

After leaving Slave Lake, the royal couple flew to Calgary later Wednesday afternoon for a quiet overnight at an undisclosed destination the mountains west of the city.

Dozens of royal-watchers stood behind a metal fence at the airport, hoping to catch a glimpse of the comely couple or even shake hands if they were lucky. But it was not to be.

William and Kate boarded a helicopter and flew away.

In Slave Lake, some royal fans drove many hours from out of town to catch a glimpse of the couple.

Sheila Haugen and her teenage daughter, Abby, got up at 2 a.m. to make the four-hour drive from their home in B.C.

As they staked out a spot along the barricade, the Haugens were tired, but happy.

"This is a once in a lifetime moment," Sheila Haugen said. "We are so excited."

"We heard they were coming yesterday so I immediately made plans to take the day off," said Rulene Mare, who drove more than three hours from Grande Prairie, Alta., with friends Jacomie Strydom, 14, and Strydom's mom Johanine.

"We'd been following their whole tour through Canada and to see them live is amazing," said Mare. "I would like to say to William that he made a perfect choice in a wife."

It has been a whirlwind two months for Slave Lake, beginning with the devastating wildfires that tore throughout the town seven weeks ago, thrusting the small community into the national spotlight.

The wildfire that ripped through Slave Lake in May caused more than $700 million in damages, making it the second-costliest insured disaster in Canadian history, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada.

The wildfire, fuelled by tinder-dry conditions and high winds, tore through Slave Lake on May 15, destroying about one-third of the town and forcing thousands to flee their homes.

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